Living with Congenital Hypothyroidism

Hi everyone Today I did something I hate doing, this is personal. I Googled something I heard about CH. I am a young adult and growing up with a chronic illness there will be a day when you start to ask questions. So you think to yourself, let's Google stuff. I soon realised that the internet is a scary place, because you get lots of articles and websites writing about CH but it isn't written by people who have it. Groups on Facebook are scary for me too. What basically happens is that you read these lists of symptoms or claims and start looking for them in your own life. Lots of the times you either don't have it or you get so confused that you convince yourself you have that symptom too. It was shortly after making the conscious decision to not read up on CH that I started this blog. I want to write about my experience and share my story. Through this, people get real connections and honest answers. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have through ...

Hi everyone I took these photos on Monday, it will be my last day on campus for a while. We just finished with our exams and I think it went well, still waiting for marks. I am currently busy with my postgrad in education, so this exam was the post relaxed of all my exams so far. I wrote exams and my other had 6 assignments to do, one of which was an IsiXhosa oral. I put myself into a routine waking up at 7:30 every day and 5:30 on the days I wrote. I also had minimum stress as I've worked hard, given my best and I only have year modules. It is the end of the semester now and I have a month long holiday till I start with my practical at a school for three months. We went for a school visit on Tuesday and the school is great! I felt welcome immediately. It is exciting and scary at the same time, I am in that period in my life where student life is ending very fast and I am approaching adult life. I have lots of adulting to do this holiday. Jobs to apply and forms to fi...

Hi everyone It's been months since I last posted, things have been hectic. I'm a final year at Stellenbosch University and graduating next week. Although I haven't posted in a while, I've been thinking about ideas about what to post. My blog now has a Facebook page called Congenital Hypothyroidism. Follow my blog on Instagram too: con_hypothyroidism My exams have been over for weeks, but I'm still recovering. I know this sounds lame, but I'm usually very tired afterwards. It's been lovely, sleeping an average of 9 hours a night, staying in bed watching series and just relaxing. No makeup, rarely leaving the house and wearing my pj pants. This is usually how my holidays start, first I hibernate and then I start doing things I never get time to do. So far it's been mostly lots of sleep, pj pants, nail polish, series, movies, starting to blog again and making my graduation dress. I've been sleeping so much and I promise you I'...

Hi everyone I know I talked about not feeling normal yesterday, which sounds crazy but I know people with the same condition know exactly what I'm talking about. But you know what this is my "normal" and it doesn't define who I am and what I can accomplish in life. It influences me every day, but I'm not going to let it hold me back from what I want in life. Coping with feeling tired all the time. I feel tired all the time, but of course I know the different levels. It's like the tiredness is always somewhere in the background, but I'm coping in my own unique way. Obviously, 8 hours of sleep or more would be amazing but it's not very realistic. Life get's in the way, so to speak, and there are things that must be done. I'm currently a student at Stellenbosch University studying Bcom Investment Management. I'm final year now and we don't have a lot of class, mostly 3 hours of class a day and not 3 hours directly after one ano...

Hi everyone Today I'm feeling lekker tired, which is my own fault because I watched a movie until the early hours of this morning and woke up at abut 8:30. This made me think about some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. A quick Google search will give you a list of things, but as we all know you can't always believe Google. Instead I want to share some symptoms that I experience: Fatigue Dry and sensitive skin Thin hair Cold body temperature (I'm always colder than the average person) Dry, brittle and flaky nails Struggle to concentrate Terrible handwriting Less stamina or energy than others Very emotional Depressed at times Being born with this condition does give me an advantage compared to people who have felt "normal" before. Normal as in their thyroid was in perfect condition before being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism or after their thyroid had to be removed. They know how they use to feel where I've been ...